Far to the north, within the frost-coated war room of Frostwind Keep, King Arkan of Drakarhold stood brooding over a massive war table before him.
His gloved hands clenched the table's edge as he went through the reports.
The remnant of his once mighty army had returned, broken and humiliated.
Valeria not only defended but also retaliated with heavy casualties against Drakarhold's army.
And worst of all... Freya had been captured.
The name... Alexander Ivan Rodnerick echoed throughout the report.
"That western runt!" Arkan snarled slamming his fist into the war table. "I thought he wasn't a threat. Just some useless prince tossed into the war to die."
His advisors remained silent wary of his fury.
Finally, a thin man in a robe marked with runes stepped forward.
"Your Majesty," he said calmly. "The defeat was... unexpected. We believed we were supposed to win... easily."
Arkan glared at him yet remained silent.
"We underestimated them." The man continued calmly. "But more than that... we underestimated him."
"Ivan..." Arkan hissed, pacing toward the window. "That bastard from the Eternal Dynasty. To think... of all times to rise he chooses now."
"I won't let that happen." He turned to the window. Snow fell softly outside, cloaking the kingdom in silence.
"I don't care what kingdom he comes from. No one touches Drakarhold and walks away."
"I won't forget this insult." He said in a whisper.
Just then, the double doors were pushed open. A young soldier rushed in with an excited expression.
"Your Majesty!" He said with a bow. "We just received news from the watchtower."
"Prince Ivan has been captured, and his being led here by General Freya."
Arkan head snapped up.
"Is that so?" He asked.
"Yes. My Lord. They are expected to arrive at dusk."
"Hahaha! This is great news."
"I knew my sister wouldn't fail me." His lips curled into a smirk.
He turned to his council. "Make preparations for their arrival. Ensure everything is in place before she arrives."
The soldier bowed and hurriedly left the room.
"Your Majesty... if I may." The thin man spoke once again. "The reports we received paint a very different picture." He paused licking his dry lips then continued.
"It doesn't make sense that Freya could simply capture him afterward."
Arkan expression darkened. "Nonsense! I know my sister! She would never lie to me!"
"She must have feigned defeat to lure him in. And then waited for the right moment to strike." Arkan said.
"Or... do you think my sister would lie to me?" He asked with a scowl.
"Of course not, Your Majesty."
"Good. I want to get some rest before they arrive. I expect everything to be perfect." With that, he walked out of the room, leaving the council in silence.
...
The snowflakes thickened as Alexander and his group neared Drakarhold.
Surprisingly, he was tied to a horse while forced to keep up. Ren wasn't far from him. He followed beside him, similarly restrained with special bindings.
"Ahhh. I wonder how they would take the information." Alexander muttered with a relaxed smile.
"Will they be cautious or simply fall for the act?"
"Well... I'm gonna know soon."
The towering castle of Drakarhold came into view. It was a massive kingdom of stone and ice. At the center, Frostwind keep stood with pride. Its walls laced with frost.
The adamantine gate gleamed with runes and arcane formations as they neared it.
Soon, they stopped before the gate.
"General Freya!" The gate guards bowed as she approached.
"Open the gates." She ordered curtly.
Without hesitation, they complied.
Inside the kingdom walls, Freya dispersed the soldiers. Only three remained guiding the 'captives' towards the Keep.
General Freya led the way. She walked gracefully towards Frostwind Keep, Drakarhold Castle.
The street fell silent as she led them through the city. Soon news of General Freya return quickly spread across the common people.
Alexander was a bit relax of the whole ordeal. His thoughts lazily wandered through the system's information.
The 20x upgrade hadn't come up during the summoning process. He didn't mind, though. He had gained three new Blood Knights and two more Blood Hunters from the summoning process.
Then the Blood Golems had also increased. He hadn't really tested their powers, but he knew they were strong.
This was it. He was slowly building his army. His blood core was also on the verge of getting full. He knew probably some kind of evolution would take place.
He had gained a lot just from his first war. And he knew they were more to come.
He was sure the news of defeating the Drakarhold forces would have reached his family.
"Too bad another shocking news is heading your way."He muttered to himself with a grin.
Finally, they arrived at the castle and were welcomed by a thin man.
"Lady Freya." The man greeted with a bow. "It's nice to see you. Welcome home."
"Lu..." She said, waving off his greeting. "Where's my brother?"
"Oh. The king awaits you in the throne room. Come. I was tasked with escorting you to him." Then, his gaze landed on the captives.
"So this is one of the princes of the Eternal Dynasty. He's quite... young." He muttered with a strange smile.
"C'mon. Let's not keep the king waiting. You know how impatient he can be."
Freya let out a chuckle as he led them through the castle gate.
Minutes later, they arrived before the throne room doors. The three soldiers were finally dismissed.
With a heavy groan, the door opened.
King Arkan sat upon a high throne, his silver hair braided down his back and his council flanking his sides. His brown eyes locked onto Freya with a grin.
Then a snarl replaced it as his gaze landed on Alexander.
"Finally get to meet the so-called King." Alexander mumbled to himself.
Freya stepped forward with a slight bow. "Brother-"
"This must be the infamous Crippled Prince." Arkan said with a smirk.
Alexander remained silent. Ren stood beside him equally calm with a bored expression.
Turning to his sister, Arkan let out a faint smile.
"Sister. I know you would prevail." He said.
Ren suddenly frowned. They were guards hidden in the room. Though perfectly hidden, he could easily sense them.
"Pathetic." He muttered, then glanced at Alexander with a smile.
Just then, a voice announced loudly, laced with pride.
"You stand before King Arkan Starfall, first of his name, ruler of Drakarhold."
"Kneel and acknowledge the King!"
With eyebrows raised, Alexander muttered under his breath.
"Oh. That's new."
Neither of them moved.
Then the voice came again, this time stronger than before.
"Acknowledge. The. King!"
"You've got the nerves, huh." Arkan growled. "Maybe I should use your servant as an example."
He strode down the steps and grabbed Alexander by the jaw, pulling him close.
"The Crippled Prince. The stain in the great Eternal Dynasty. You're quite different from what I heard." He said with a smile.
"You're now in my territory, boy. Your father can't save you. Bow... and I'll let you live." His grip tightened as Alexander remained silent.
"No one is gonna save you. Not the Crippled useless Prince." He said, shoving him away.
All of a sudden, Arkan stumbled back, staring at Ren with wide eyes.
Everyone felt it. The heavy killing intent that surged through the throne room.
"Y–You dare!" Arkan barked, his voice slightly cracked. "I–I'll have you know I'm not one to mess with."
"Lu! I don't think he would be needing his eyes. Remove his eyes and feed them to my beast!"
Just then, a voice echoed through the room, tinged with amusement.
"Now... that's interesting."